The Price of Immortality
by Kyas Nonsense
Summary: What happens when a demon butler comes across an immortal human? Mayhem, of course. Follow Ciel Phantomhive and his faithful butler as they try to wade through the constant war of the immortals, while keeping Scotland Yard out of their backyard. Warning: This is a random story that came to mind, so please read at your own risk!
Running through the woods, her feet feeling like they were on fire, she tried to think of anything other than what was pursuing her. Time had stopped having meaning after the first attack. Now she merely saw the future in little snippets of possibility. After all, the man that was chasing her was blood thirsty and had a sword while she was completely unarmed. She was hoping against hope that there was an estate somewhere in the middle of these woods.

"You are a coward!" the man's voice trailed her as he gave chase. His boots stamped through the underbrush as though it were nothing more than a mere inconvenience where her skirts caught on every little twig and bush. It was maddening.

"Cowardice has nothing to do with wanting to live, you freak!" she shouted back, forcing her shaking legs to move faster.

Tripping over a root, she recovered as quickly as she was able. The forest was thinning out and she was amazed to find that she was indeed coming to an estate; one that was surrounded by a tall fence.

"Damn," she breathed the word, sliding to a stop as she exited the trees and spinning around on her heel. Bracing herself, she waited for the man to join her. She could hear him as he came.

It was not long before he ran out of the forest with the broadsword held high. A loud and long yell escaped the man's throat as he lunged for her, swinging the sword toward her neck. Ducking and jumping to the side she managed to avoid the sharp blade.

"Come on! I don't want any part of your bloody war!" she yelled even as she danced back once more as the man swung the blade at her again.

Jumping and dodging she went on the defensive as well as she could un-armed. Eventually her back ended up against the fence and the man was able to charge her head-on. Before he reached her, however, several things happened at once. She closed her eyes, ready to lose her head after running for so long, then the sound of metal hitting the ground made her open them. Looking at her attacker, she discovered something that look like a silver fork sticking out of his forehead. Blood was seeping from the wound that she knew wouldn't keep him down for long. The next thing she noticed was a man standing nearby. He was tall, slender, and dressed completely in black. A butler's uniform. Where he had come from was beyond her but she didn't think she really wanted to find out either.

Turning, she attempted running, only to find the butler in front of her again.

"Who the hell…" she muttered, backing up slowly as he looked down on her. The glare on his face sent chills down her spine.

"My my, you are a curious one," the butler said softly.

"Curious?" she looked back at the man on the ground and swallowing, "How so?"

"To be so brusque with the man who saved you," the butler commented, stepping toward her. She had a feeling he misread her fear as being of him. True, he was startlingly fast and oddly scary, but to be completely frank, it was the man on the ground she was more afraid of.

"Truly? I didn't realize being startled was considered brusque. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be going," she turned and skirted the apparent body on the ground before lifting her torn skirts and attempting to run back into the forest.

Before she reached the edge, the butler grabbed her wrist and yanked her back around so that she was facing him again. He wasn't going to let her leave, clearly. Hard as she tried, she couldn't think of a proper excuse as to why she was running through the forest so late at night, let alone explain why there was a man chasing her with a broadsword!

"Young miss, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to leave. You see, my young master is quite curious as to what you were doing on his estate," the butler explained even as a groan emanated from the prone form on the ground.

"Oh bloody 'ell," she swore as she watched him reach up and pull the fork from his forehead. Blood spurted and then ran down the sides of his head before the wound fully closed.

Turning his head, the butler's eyes widened ever so slightly before he turned and placed himself between her and the man. With a sigh, she tried experimentally to pull her wrist free but found that the butler was far stronger than he appeared to be. Giving into her fate, she simply waited for the other to cut the butler down before taking her head.

"What… the hell was that?" the man demanded, getting to his feet shakily, "Did you kill me with a bloody fork?!"

"He did, it was very impressive seeing you get killed by a simple piece of kitchenware," she deadpanned, staring at the brute of a man, "Why don't you take that as a warning and simply leave? Surely there are stronger ones out there than me."

"Oh, there are my pretty little poppet, but that's why I need yer power," the man stated as he cracked his neck, "Cheeky little thing, ain't she? 'Specially when she's hidin' behind a dandy of a man like 'ee," he was approaching them now and the butler didn't seem particularly concerned.

"Truly," the butler spoke quietly, "though, at least she has the common decency not to bleed all over the lawn."

"Bleedin' all over the lawn, that's yer main concern?" the man asked before laughing heartily. He continued toward them for several steps before stopping suddenly.

A sharp pain passed through her head just as he stopped and her eyes went wide before she realized what she'd felt. Shortly thereafter she heard the sound of something cutting through the air and she grabbed the butler's arm tightly.

"Duck, NOW," she snapped, feeling the resistance from the man before he finally dropped down to his knees. Seconds later a blade passed through the air over their heads.

The sound of metal cutting flesh and bone broke the partial stillness. It was followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground hard.

"What in the world," the butler sounded surprised finally as she hid her face against his shoulder. This was the part she hated the most.

For a moment the world was peaceful only to be rent asunder by the loud crash of thunder and brilliant flashes of lightning, though the night skies were clear. It seemed to last minutes but was only seconds long before stopping. Standing, the butler dragged her to her feet as well and she artfully dodged behind him as someone approached them through the ragged swath cut by her earlier flight through the forest.

"Ah, well, that was entertaining," another male voice and she ground her teeth together.

 _How many of them are there?_ She thought, watching around the right arm of the butler as a man with long blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin stepped out into the moonlight. He wore a simple suit and had his hair pulled back at the nape of his neck.

"Pardon?" the butler asked. Clearly he had recovered from his momentary surprise at seeing a man rise from the dead.

"Oh, apologies, I am Sir Christopher Steele," the man bowed deeply before smiling over at her, "No worries, I don't go after novices. You're a bit too young for my taste. I saw that brute chase you in here and, while his power was saturated with nastiness, I decided to do all of us a favor and put an end to him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall take my leave of you. Take good care of her, butler, she is something special indeed."

With that, he turned his back and left. Staring after him, she narrowed his eyes. They never left that easily, it had to be a trick of some kind. Apparently the butler agreed because he didn't move either. It was several moments before a soft hum escaped the man and he turned to face her, still holding her wrist firmly.

"While this is fascinating, I believe I had better take you to the estate. I am sure you quite chilled," he commented before canting his head slightly in a small bow, "I am Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phantomhives."

"Phantom…hives," she'd heard that name before. Now she wondered if she had made a grave error in using this particular butler as a human shield.

"Yes, please come along peacefully," it was more a threat than an invitation. 

The manor was grand, to say the least. Entering through a massive entrance, she gasped at the grandeur of the entry. A main stairway lead upward, breaking into two to lead into the separate wings of the upper floor. Paintings of magnificent quality hung upon the walls and a chandelier that seemed capable of surrounding a carriage hung from the high ceiling.

"Welcome to Phantomhive estate," Sebastian stated with ease. He indicated the entry before looking up the stairs. Following his gaze, she caught sight of boy, he wore the clothing of a genteel boy. His hair was long in the front, hanging over his right eye, which was also covered by an eye patch. He looked down at her with an expression befitting one looking at an ant. The expression had the opposite effect of Sebastian's glare. Anger boiled in her chest and she balled her fists.

"My young lord, I expected you to await our return in the study," Sebastian stated and she looked up at him in surprise. This boy was the lord of the house?

"You took too long, Sebastian," Ciel snapped, "Who is she and what was she doing?"

"My you are in a foul mood, young master," Sebastian responded with a smirk.

"It is late and I am tired. Stop your prattling and answer my questions," Ciel ordered.

Sebastian bowed slightly before responding, "Her name is still a mystery. However, she appeared to be being chased by a large man with a sword. In fact, he attempted to kill her on numerous occasions."

"I see, then you were attacked and driven through the forest?" Ciel asked and she glared at him.

"No, I merely enjoy a long run through a bloody forest," she snapped back. Her mother had always warned her that her sarcasm would get her into trouble one day.

"He did warn me you were cheeky," Sebastian stated with a smirk. She had a feeling he was fighting the urge to laugh.

"Really, do you have any idea who I am?" Ciel demanded.

"The Earl of Phantomhive, the Queen's Watchdog," she answered, "I've heard of you, though I'll admit I wasn't expecting someone quite so young."

For a moment, Ciel looked surprised before gnashing his teeth in annoyance, "And who, precisely, are you?"

"No clue," she shrugged.

This elicited a response from both of them. Sebastian turned toward her in open surprise and Ciel stared at her, equally shocked. It was a reaction she was accustomed to getting. Whenever someone wanted to know who she was, she had no answer for them. Her mind was a blank slate beyond an incident that had occurred a mere three months earlier. Since then, she had been running for her life and trying desperately to escape the fate that seemed to dog her every step.

"How exactly do you not know who you are?" Ciel asked as he came down to the first landing.

"It's a little thing called amnesia, actually," she answered, tapping the side of her skull, "Kind of what happens when you try killing yourself by jumping into a well."

"You tried to kill yourself… by jumping into a well," Sebastian still sounded slightly shocked, "Goodness, how did you survive?"

"Uh, remember undead man out there?" she jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward the door.

"Are you telling me that you cannot die?" Sebastian asked. This news seemed to stun him more than it did the pint-sized earl.

"For the most part?" she answered, slightly surprised herself by his reaction, "You were there, right? You threw a fork into his head and he came back to life within, what? Five minutes I think?"

"Yes, I have simply never met a human capable of such a thing," Sebastian commented, looking down as Ciel finally decided to join them properly.

"Are you sure she is human?" Ciel asked, his blue eye staring at her as though he were trying to burrow into her brain.

"Quite sure," Sebastian answered.

"Well, that's not a creepy question or anything," she interjected before rubbing her temples, "Look, I don't really understand it myself, but as I have died, officially, twenty times now, I'm fairly certain that I'm immortal."

"Immortal?" Ciel was now looking more suspicious than anything.

"Fine, do you need me to prove it?" she asked, stepping back and looking pointedly at the butler, "Throw a fork or whatever at me, hit me in a vital spot, then please wait before you toss me in a shallow grave. They are _not_ fun to dig one's way out of."

"Very well, though I'd prefer not to have massive amounts of blood to clean off the floor," Sebastian sighed as he spoke.

Before she could respond, something hit her directly between the eyes and everything went dark. Searing pain was the next thing she knew as her eyes popped open and she groaned. Reaching up with a shaking hand, she felt around her face. Her fingers came away sticky and wet with blood before she found the offending object that was buried in her skull. With slippery fingers, she gripped the handle and pulled it out. Crying out at the pain, she swore mightily before setting the weapon down beside her with a clang and sitting up.

"Damn it that hurt," she huffed, wiping the blood away from her eyes and blinking. Looking up, she found herself being stared at by the little earl. Sebastian stood a short distance away with a bland look upon his face, though the curse got a twitch out of him.

"That is impossible," Ciel breathed, "You cannot be human."

"Sorry kid, but I'm as human as you are. I just can't seem to get the dying thing right," she answered, wiping at the blood as the wound finally closed completely. Her head was aching and she glanced down to see what had penetrated her skull. A butter knife lay on the floor, covered in her still warm blood.

"Well, that's got to be the oddest way I've died thus far," she muttered, looking at Sebastian, "Nice aim."

"Thank you," Sebastian gave her a smile and she sighed.

"Are there others like you out there?" Ciel asked.

This question earned an eye roll from her as she leaned her forearm on an upraised knee, "Doesn't pay attention very well, does he?"

The question was directed at Sebastian and he smirked in response before she continued, "Yes, there are. Look kid, let's just say I've been running for my life since climbing out of that well. There's some weird ritual with people like me where they go around attacking one another with swords. No one showed up to give me a sword or anything, so I'm pretty much the easy prey in this little war. I just keep running."

"Then there is a way to kill those like you," Ciel said. His expression was sour probably due to her teasing.

"Sebastian saw it tonight," she answered, indicating him with a bloody hand before closing her eyes against the painful headache.

"Ah, so then he is officially dead," Sebastian responded and she nodded, "You see, young master, a gentleman appeared and removed the young lady's attacker's head from his body."

"So, cutting off your heads is the only way you can truly die?" Ciel looked like he may be sick.

"Apparently, I only found this out a few days ago, actually," she answered with her eyes still closed.

"Young master, if I may make a suggestion, both you and the young miss need rest," Sebastian stopped any further questions, "I recommend continuing this conversation tomorrow."

For a moment, Ciel looked as though he wanted to argue, then he sighed and stood up, dusting himself off, "Very well. Sebastian, ready a guest room for the young lady and make sure she is comfortable. I shall retire to my room for the night. We will discuss this further on the morrow."

With that, Ciel bowed and climbed the stairs. She watched him go before sighing herself and preparing to stand on her own. Before she had managed to get her feet under her, there was a gloved hand mere inches from her face. With a sardonic smile, she took the butler's hand and allowed him to assist her in standing. Her legs were shaky from the long run through the forest and her clothing was tattered and torn.

"I am a frightful mess, aren't I? No wonder you approached me the way you did," she said, looking down at herself before looking back up at him. She nearly missed the mirth in his expression.

"I shall draw you a bath so you may relax as I am preparing a room for you," Sebastian suggested as he released her hand and turned, leading the way up the stairs. She followed after a moment's hesitation. Ciel Phantomhive couldn't be any worse than the people she'd been facing for the last several months and a hot bath and warm bed sounded like heaven after what she'd been through.


End file.
